Unleashing the Past
by LegendsAlmighty
Summary: Ash's mom was killed several years ago. Since the time he has fled, Ash has been training with his Pokemon until now. What will happen when he comes back to Pallet, meets his old friend, and must once again save the world?No longer on Hiatus-Chap 11 up!
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long time since he had seen his home town.

There, in the distance was Pallet…

A hooded man stood on a slope overlooking the town with his faithful Pikachu at his side.

"Ya think the others will recognize us, Pikachu?"

"Pikaa, chu, Pi!"

"Yeah it has been a long time…since _that_ happened."

_Flashback:_

_A 14 year old boy had just returned triumphant from the Sinnoh League. He had managed to defeat his rival, Paul, in the 2__nd__ round. He had been looking forward to seeing his mom again._

_When he arrived, he noticed something was wrong._

_He couldn't hear anything._

_When he rushed in, he saw his mom and her Mr. Mime lying on the ground with stab wounds and bullet holes in their chest. Staring speechless, the boy couldn't think of anything until he heard a sound. The kitchen._

_He rushed over to the kitchen and saw Samuel Oak, sitting on a chair, stirring from a restless slumber, with bags under his eyes._

"_Professor! My……"_

"_I know Ash…I know…"_

"_Who could have done such a thing?!!"_

"_Remember how throughout the four regions, you have constantly thwarted the major plans of Team Rocket, Aqua, Magma, and Galactic."_

"…"

"_They did this."_

_The boy was silent for a minute._

"_I'll kill them. I'll kill them all."_

_And then he left._

"I've been training for four years ever since I took down those crime organizations. Now Professor Oak has somehow contacted me. Do you think we're ready to go back? I'm just scared that the others will reject us."

"Pikaaa, Chu, Kachu," said the Pikachu reassuringly.

"Thanks pal," said the hooded man. And then he set off for Pallet.


	2. Chapter 2

"Professor? Do you know where my Azumarill went?" asked a certain black-haired assistant.

"No, I don't Tracey. Why don't you look out on the ranch?" replied Professor Samuel Oak.

As Tracey, Professor Oak's assistant rushed out to the ranch, Oak thought, "_Foolish mortal. He still hasn't figured out that I'm not Oak._"

With that thought, Oak, or should I say the impostor, thought back to the day on which he had killed Delia Ketchum.

_Flashback:_

"_Giovanni, are you sure?" asked the imposter._

"_I am. Ash Ketchum is my son. What do we do Shadow King?" inquired Giovanni._

_Apparently this imposter is a "Shadow King."_

"_I will eliminate him. He is the only possible threat that can get in my way. Unless the boy is dead, we will not be able to do anything."_

"_Understood. Giovanni out."_

_The "Shadow King" set out for Pallet on his private jet. Upon arriving at the Ketchum household, he morphed into the form of Samuel Oak and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Delia Ketchum opened the door._

"_Professor! What a lovely surprise! I thought you were still in Sinnoh though."_

"_Hello, Delia! Is Ash home?"_

"_No...he isn't. I thought that you would be meeting him in Sunnyshore. He's coming home this afternoon."_

"_Ah. Do you mind if I stay here until Ash gets back?"_

"_No problem, profe...what happened to your eyes?"_

_The eyes in question were hollow, dark, and souless._

"_No, it can't be, not you!"_

_Realizing that Delia had found out his true identity, the "Shadow King" threw off his cover and proceeded to...eliminate her, as well as the pesky Mr. Mime that had been with her the whole entire time. When Ash got back, he transformed into Oak and pretended like he had lost a lot of sleep. After Ash had fled, the "King" laughed._

"_So gullible!"_

_End of Flashback_

Ash was strolling down Pallet's main street when he saw Professor Oak's laboratory.

"Well, Pikachu. Let's go meet Professor Oak."

"Pikaa!"

**Like it? Love it? Hate it?**

**Kinda random idea I had. Hope you enjoyed it. Will update soon.**

**Review Please!**

**-legendsalmighty**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long delay. And Voila! Here it is!**

Ash stepped up to the Oak laboratory. After he rang the doorbell, he thought to himself, "_Here we go. I'm about to actually talk to someone for the first time in years."_

He heard the sound of footsteps and soon was rewarded by the opening of the door. In front of him stood Tracey Sketchit.

"Oh, hello! Can I help you mister?" asked Tracey.

"I'd like to see the professor please," said Ash while removing his hood.

"Pikaa!"

"Um, do I know you sir? You and that Pikachu of yours seem familiar."

"I doubt we've met before," lied Ash.

"Well, follow me," beckoned Tracy, "and let's meet Professor Oak!"

As Ash followed Tracey into the Oak laboratory, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he looked around him.

"Remember this Pikachu? The place where I first met you."

"Kachu!" replied the Pikachu affectionately.

Soon, Tracey, Ash, and Pikachu arrived out on the ranch where Professor Oak was feeding a Ponyta.

"Professor! You have a visitor!" yelled Tracey.

"Well, hello Tracey, Ash, and Pikachu!" replied Oak.

"…Ash? What the…" said Tracey, looking quite shocked.

"How did you know it was me, Professor?" asked a mildly surprised Ash.

"But…You…Professor…What is going on here? You've been gone for years, Ash! That explains why you and your Pikachu seemed familiar," said Tracey.

"To answer your question, Ash, I am not Professor Oak," revealed…not Oak?

"What the fu-," exclaimed Tracey.

"You must be drunk. You're Professor Oak. You don't just tell people that your not," said Ash, believing Oak to be crazy. (**Confused yet? Don't worry, it will get clearer soon.**)

"You see Ash, I am the Shadow King," said the Shadow King.

"Stop making up names for yourself!" shouted Ash, "It's annoying me!"

"Perhaps this will change your mind," and with that, the Shadow king transformed what seemed like a perfect copy of Ash. Except for the fact that his eyes were red, his teeth were sharp and long, had fricking claws, and had a dark aura billowing around him.

"Who the heck are you?" yelled Ash.

"As I told you before, I am the Shadow King. You, Ash, are the Prince of the Aura. I am essentially you, except evil."

As Ash remembered Movie 8, he said, "Why would you tell me this?"

"Because you and I were destined to fight. The victor will determine the fate of the world."

"What makes me so special?" inquired Ash.

"You are the Chosen One, the befriended of the legendaries, and the reincarnation of Sir Aaron. I am your evil counterpart. Now, let us fight!" shouted the Shadow King, "A one-on-one Pokemon battle. To the end!"

"_This is way too sudden,_" thought Ash.

"Go! My faithful companion, Shadow Pikachu!" commanded the Shadow King. From a dark Pokeball appeared a brownish Pikachu with purple eyes and dark sparks jutting from his cheeks.

"Looks like we'll have to battle him, Pikachu," said Ash to Pikachu, "Let's show them what we got!"

"Pikaa!" shouted the Pikachu.

"Shadow Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" ordered the Shadow King.

From the Shadow Pikachu came an orange Thunderbolt outlined in dark currents of pure energy.

"Pikachu! Use your agility to dodge, and build it into a quick attack!" countered Ash.

When the dark Thunderbolt struck the place where Pikachu had been, a tremendous explosion rocked the whole field leaving dust and smoke lingering about.

"Pikachu! Keep going!"

"Pikaa!"

Ash's Pikachu jumped up and used its Quick Attack on the Shadow Pikachu and landed back on its feet.

"Great job! Now use Thunder!" urged Ash.

Pikachu let loose a tremendous surge of electrical energy and the Shadow Pikachu was not fast enough to dodge it.

"Shadow Pikachu! Iron Tail!" yelled the Shadow King.

The Shadow Pikachu ran forward and its tail began glowing white, with purple currents of energy surrounding it.

"Pikachu! Thunder Tail Combo!" shouted Ash.

Pikachu began glowing with its Thunder Attack, but quickly transferred its energy to its tail. When the two tail attacks collided, both were sent back by the enormous collision energy explosion.

"Pikaa…" muttered Ash's Pikachu.

"Grr…" growled the Shadow Pikachu.

"Pikachu! We only have enough energy for one final attack! Full Power VOLT TACKLE!!!" yelled Ash.

"Shadow Pikachu! You, too! Shadow Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu started with agility and quick attack and then started to glow bright yellow as its body was enveloped in thousands of volts of pure electrical energy. Shadow Pikachu did the same, but the thunder was purple.

The two collided resulting in the largest explosion since the beginning of the battle.

After the dust cleared, there, stood triumphant…

**Dun Dun Dun Dun.**

**Cliffhangers!**

**Review Please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Howdy all! Thanks to those that have my reviewed my story so far! It's great encouragement, especially since this is my first story! So...let's go!**

_"Pikachu! We only have enough energy for one final attack! Full Power VOLT TACKLE!!!" yelled Ash._

_"Shadow Pikachu! You, too! Shadow Volt Tackle!"_

_Pikachu started with agility and quick attack and then started to glow bright yellow as its body was enveloped in thousands of volts of pure electrical energy. Shadow Pikachu did the same, but the thunder was purple._

_The two collided resulting in the largest explosion since the beginning of the battle._

_After the dust cleared, there, stood triumphant…_

The Shadow Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu lay on the ground, eyes closed, looking very still.

"Pikachu!" shouted Ash, as he ran over.

The Shadow Pikachu grinned, and ran back to the Shadow King.

"I commend you, Ash Ketchum, as well as your Pikachu. He survived for well over 5 minutes against my Shadow Pikachu. Most Pokémon would not last even a minute. You even got to land some hits too!" complimented the Shadow King.

Ash ignored him, and instead focused all his attention on Pikachu.

"Please be okay, buddy. I would never forgive myself, if you..." Ash could never to finish that sentence.

"For your incredible feat of strength, I will heal your Pikachu," continued the Shadow King.

From his dark body came a purple stream of energy. Upon touching Pikachu, it turned green and white and began pulsating over Pikachu's limp body. Immediately, Ash began to think,

"_I have to stop this. What if Pikachu's being hurt more?_" But for some reason, Ash found that he could not move.

After a tense minute, the light stopped. Pikachu's wounds began to fade and he stirred.

"Pi...kaa?"

"Oh, Pikachu! I was so worried. Thank goodness you're alright," cried Ash.

As he turned around to see if the Shadow King was still there, he was surprised to see a note lying where he had been.

_Ash Satoshi Ketchum,_

_ You and your Pokémon are strong indeed. Do you wish to fight me again? Only you can fight me Ash, and if you do not, I will destroy everything that you know and care about. The world will bend under my iron rule. However, it has come to my attention that you may not want the world to be destroyed. I am a merciful ruler, but an infinitely strong one at that. If you wish to save your pitiful planet, come to Shamouti Island. I have initiated the World Pokémon Cup there. The victor will face me. The winner of the final battle shall decide the fate of the world. I win, I destroy. You win, you save. What do you say? Shall you make one final stand for the world? Or will you be a coward and leave this world to me? The choice is yours. All you need to do to register for the World Cup is to go to Shamouti Island and show the Cup officials your Pokédex. I await your decision._

_The Shadow King_

Ash turned to Pikachu.

"What do you think? You saw how strong he was."

"Pikaa? Kachu chu. Chaa."

"You think so?"

"Pika!"

"This is way too sudden, Pikachu. I just went back to Pallet to see Professor Oak, and all this happens in, like 45 minutes. It's insane."

"ugg..." muttered Tracey.

"Oh yeah, I forgot...What should I do with Tracey?" asked Ash.

"Pikachu," replied Pikachu.

"Yeah, you're probably right. He got knocked out by the last explosion. Let's just leave him here. We don't want him following us."

"Pikaa...Chu?" asked Pikachu.

"I don't know why this...Shadow King would heal you, but hey, let's not dwell on the past. So, do you think that we should do this?"

"Kachu! Pi!" assured Pikachu.

"All right, then. I think it's time we save the world...again. Let's go...to Shamouti Island."

"Pikaa!"

**Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun.**

**Well, it looks like Ash is gonna enter a tournament, then fight the Shadow King.**

**Read and Review and Recommend!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all my reviewers! And let's begin!**

Ash stood on the ship of the K.S. (Kanto Ship) Champion. It was a cruise ship headed for Shamouti Island for the World Cup.

"Do you think we can do this?" asked Ash to his Pikachu, standing by his side.

"Pikaa," reassured the Pikachu.

"Wait up Max!"

At the sound of the ethereal voice, Ash turned around to see a lovely brunette dressed in orange and green chasing a teen with a green t-shirt and black shorts and glasses.

"I can't, May! I want to battle somebody!" shouted the young boy.

"It's them, Pikachu. Do you think they'll recognize us?" asked Ash.

"Pika. Pikachu!" said Pikachu.

Before Ash could respond, Max shouted, "Hey, you!"

"Are you talking to me?" inquired Ash.

"Yeah, you! You look like a trainer. Wanna battle?"

As Ash was considering this, May ran up and said to Max, "Max, that's rude. You don't even know if he wants to battle or not."

"It's okay, miss. We'll battle. Your brother isn't any trouble at all," replied Ash.

May frowned. Something about that voice sounded familiar.

"All right! May, can you ref?" shouted Max.

"Of course."

As the two trainers got into place, May shouted, "All right! This battle is between Max Maple from Petalburg City and…what's your name?"

"Call me Satoshi," answered Ash.

"Okay, Satoshi! This will be a one-on-one Pokémon battle. Ready? Begin!"

"Let's go Kirlia!" shouted Max as the small psychic type was released.

"Go Pikachu," said Ash.

"Let's start out, Kirlia! Confusion!" shouted Max.

"Pikachu, use a very weak quick attack," responded Ash calmly.

As Kirlia launched its telekinetic attack, Pikachu rushed forward with blinding speed and struck Kirlia on its left horn. Even though it was only a slight blow, Kirlia tumbled backwards in a daze and took serious damage.

"Whoa…that Pikachu is strong! Kirlia, Shadow Ball!" yelled Max.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to counter," commanded Ash.

Pikachu's tail glowed white with energy and he smacked the shadowy blob of energy, making it explode. Dust flew everywhere, and threw the chaos, Ash shouted, "Pikachu! Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu shot a small bolt of lightning towards Kirlia.

Max shouted, "Protect!"

Kirlia encased itself in a globe of green energy and the Thunder Shock was absorbed.

"Kirlia! Magical Leaf!" ordered Max.

Kirlia sent glowing, razor-sharp leaves towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Electrical Wall!" shouted Ash.

Pikachu's tail glowed red and struck the ground. Bolts of lightning cut from that spot and rose up forming a glowing yellow wall of electricity. The leaves sputtered harmlessly against the wall.

"Now! Focus Punch!" yelled Ash.

Pikachu charged forwards and jumped in the air. His right paw crackled with orange energy and after the punch was delivered, Kirlia lay on the ground.

"No! Kirlia! Are you alright?" asked Max.

"Kirlia is unable to battle, the winner is Satoshi and his Pikachu!" declared May.

"Good job, Pikachu," said Ash to Pikachu.

"Great effort, Kirlia. Take a nice long break," said Max to Kirlia.

He pulled out a Pokéball and sent out a stream of red light. Kirlia was engulfed by it and was zapped back to the red and white ball.

Max walked over to Ash.

"That was a great battle. Do you think we can battle again?" asked Max.

"Of course. So, are you going to the World Cup?" inquired Ash.

"Yup! I'm gonna beat them all!" replied Max.

"Well then, you'll have to beat me, too!" grinned Ash.

"You're competing in the World Cup?" realized May.

"You got it," smiled Ash.

At that moment, May's stomach growled and grumbled.

"Um…Looks like I'm hungry…he he…" remarked May, rather embarrassed.

"May, that's rude!" mocked Max.

"Let's go get lunch, shall we?" chuckled Ash, as he led the two bickering siblings to a lunch café.

During lunch, Pikachu found a ketchup bottle and began slurping up the delectable red condiment for all his worth and Ash said, " So your names are May and Max and you're from Petalburg?"

"Uh huh!" affirmed May.

"Your name is Satoshi, right? Where are you from?" asked Max, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Yes," confirmed Ash, "and I am from…Agate Village."

"Agate Village? Isn't that in the Orre region?" remarked Max.

"Yes, it is," replied Ash.

Before he could say anything else, an intercom above them buzzed,

"The K.S. Champion is about to arrive at Shamouti Island. Please gather all your belongings and get ready to leave the ship. We hope that you have enjoyed your cruise with the K.S. Champion. Thank you."

"Well, looks like we're here. I'll be seeing you at the World Cup, Max," said Ash to Max.

"Yeah, can't wait for it!" replied Max.

"I'll see you later!" called Ash as he strolled of to get his stuff.

Later, Ash mused to himself.

"_It sure was nice to talk to May and Max again. I wonder if I should have told them who I was._"

"Let's go save the world, Pikachu!"

"Pikaa! Pikacha!" shouted Pikachu, cheeks smeared with ketchup.

**How was it? I made it a tiny bit longer for you!**

**Three R's!**

**Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**See ya next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Ash vs Vladimir

**I'm sorry for not updating sooner. School, Work, Family, yada, yada, yada.**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter.**

After the boat had docked at Shamouti Island's port and Ash had gotten off, he traveled to a nearby Pokémon Center to sign up for the World Cup.

Upon entering the Pokémon Center, he noticed a purple haired individual talking with an energetic blond boy with a green scarf.

"_Paul...and Barry! So they're signing up, too_..." thought Ash.

Ash sneaked by the pair without them knowing and proceeded to walk towards the amiable Nurse Joy working at the counter.

Ash told the Nurse, "I'm here to sign up for the World Cup."

"What is your name mister? I'll also need your age, hometown, and region," replied the Nurse.

"Satoshi, 19, Agate Village, Orre Region," rattled off Ash.

"Okay, Satoshi! You're registered for the Pokémon World Cup now!"

As Ash walked away, he thought, "_That was much easier than I expected,_"

Pikachu had been waiting outside the whole time, enjoying the evening breeze.

"I wonder when the opening ceremonies begin," said Ash to Pikachu.

"Pi...kachu. Pi! Chaa!" shouted Pikachu as it pointed to a billboard.

"Okay, okay, calm down. Now let's see. Apparently, the opening ceremonies are...tonight?!" mused Ash.

"It starts at 8 and now it's seven-thirty? Oh, crap!" said Ash to himself as he sped to the newly constructed Shamouti Grand Stadium.

_Thirty Minutes later_

"Finally...we...made it," panted Ash.

"**Last call for all competitors. Please make your way to the middle of the Stadium.**"

Ash hurried to the middle of the stadium just as Mr. Goodshow, who apparently was in control of the competition, stood up to speak.

"_I wonder if that's the Shadow King, or actually Goodshow,_" thought Ash to himself.

"Welcome trainers from every corner of our vast world. We're running a little short on time, here, so I'll make this quick. First, I want to congratulate you on your bravery. Not everybody has the courage to sign up for the World Cup. Do not lose hope if you lose quickly. Know that you had the strength to compete! Work hard, trainers. If you win this competition here, you will be crowned, the Pokémon master of the world!" declared Mr. Goodshow.

With that, the crowd erupted into cheers.

Mr. Goodshow raised his voice and said, "But that is not all! If you do win this competition, you will get to face the last winner of this Cup! So, without further delay, let the torch come in!"

At that cue, the torch runner ran into the Stadium.

With a jolt, Ash realized that it was Ritchie and Sparky, who was riding on his shoulder.

At the top of the stairs leading to the World Cup Flame, Ritchie paused for dramatic effect and then lit the flame.

Again, the crowd cheered with renewed energy.

"Now, trainers. Tomorrow, the battles will start. Go back to the Pokémon Centers and rest for the night. You will need it if you hope to compete tomorrow," announced Mr. Goodshow.

As Ash went back to his room at the Pokémon Center for the night, he noticed a sight that made him sweat. Brock, Misty, May, Dawn, Max, Paul, Barry, Cynthia, Steven, Lance, and Brandon were all gathered in a group. Ash tried hard not to be seen but May and Max noticed him and shouted, "Hey, you!"

Ash turned and looked at them.

"It is you!" May squealed. When the small group looked at her quizzically, she said to Ash, "Aren't you Satoshi?"

"Why yes I am. And, oh yes, May and Max!"

"Um...guys, who is this guy?" asked Brock.

"He's a super strong trainer. He managed to defeat Kirlia in a matter of minutes and his Pikachu didn't take any damage at all!" answered Max, in awe.

"Pikaa!" said Pikachu in embarrassment.

"Yes, my Pikachu is very strong," asserted Ash.

"Are you competing in the tournament?" asked Brandon.

"Uh huh. What about you?" asked Ash to the small group.

Everybody but May, Dawn, Misty, and Brock replied and said that they would be competing.

"Huh...Well, good luck to you all!" grinned Ash as he turned around and made his way to the Pokémon Center.

Lance said to Cynthia and Brandon, "That young man has a powerful Aura. I can sense it. We might actually have some competition here."

_The Next Morning_

"So, how does this competition work?" asked Ash to Nurse Joy.

"Well, we have exactly 64 trainers competing,"

"That's so little, considering the fact that anybody could sign up."

"Yes, but most people thought they couldn't compete because they weren't strong enough. Anyways, the competition works like a normal competition, except for the fact that everything is a surprise. You don't register your Pokémon."

"Oh...so what field am I going to first?"

"You will be in the G division and you will be up against a trainer who goes by the name of Vladimir Kasimatis. Your battle is on the rock field and it will start in an hour."

_An hour later_

"All right folks! The 3rd battle of the G division will be on the rock field and will be between a trainer by the name of Satoshi from Agate Village in the green corner and Vladimir Kasimatis from Lavender Town in the red corner! This will be a one-on-one Pokémon battle with no time limit. Trainers, get ready. The automatically random computer will determine who sends out their Pokémon first!"

After the computer had finished spinning, Ash, the green corner, had to send out his first Pokémon. He detached a Pokéball from his waist and threw it up in the air. "Come on out, Ivysaur!" he shouted.

"Ivy...saur!" yelled the green Pokémon.

"An Ivysaur, huh. This should be easy. Let's go Crobat," said Vladimir smugly.

In the crowd, Cynthia and Lance looked with interest at the battle that was about to take place.

"Let's see how strong Satoshi really is shall we?" asked Cynthia to Lance.

"Crobat, let's start out! Poison Fang!" commanded Vladimir.

Crobat's fangs grew and became coated in a purple haze. It sped towards Ivysaur at a great speed.

"Wait for it...now! Ivysaur use Vine Whip to jump!" shouted Ash.

Ivysaur sprouted 4 long, green whips that slammed into the ground and sent him flying upwards.

"What the..." gasped the audience, almost in unison.

"Crobat! Take Down!"

Crobat sped up towards Ivysaur, who had reached the peak of his jump.

"Ivysaur! Use your Vine Whip to grab hold of Crobat and pull it towards you!"

Ivysaur nodded in recognition and unleashed the 4 vines. With alacrity, the grass whips tightened around the Crobat and Ivysaur pulled Crobat up to him.

"Ivysaur, Protect!"

Ivysaur enveloped itself in a green globe of protective energy and as the two slammed together, only Crobat was hurt.

"Now, Ivysaur, fall!"

The effects of gravity sped the two coupled Pokémon down towards the rocks below.

Vladimir, who was panicking now shouted, "Crobat, Air Cutter!"

However, Crobat could not move and so could not break free of the Vine Whip.

"Ivysaur! Solarbeam into the sky!"

Because it was such a sunny day, it did not take long for the Solarbeam to finish charging. After Ivysaur had fired, the pair sped up towards the ground at a much faster rate.

Now, impact was inevitable.

Vladimir did the only thing he could do. "Endure!"

"Ivysaur! Let go and use vine whip to push Crobat down and jump yourself!" urged Ash.

"Ivy...SAUR!!!!" yelled the grass-poison Pokémon as it did so.

The audience watched with held breaths as Ivysaur landed a safe distance away. A huge impact explosion occurred and dust flew everywhere.

After the dust had cleared, the noticed Crobat had fluttered up, due to the effects of Endure.

"That's the spirit, Crobat! We can still win this. Use Cross Poison Cutter Combo!" yelled Vladimir.

Crobat started to glow white and purple and shot razor sharp wind slashes imbued with poison towards Ivysaur.

"Ivysaur! Seed Bomb and Magical Leaf!" commanded Ash.

The Seed Bombs and Magical Leaves collided with the air and poison.

During the resulting explosion, Ash yelled, "Frenzy Plant!"

"What? Only 3rd stage grass starters can learn that move!" said Vladimir in confusion.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that!" replied Ash mockingly.

Ivysaur yelled and it was covered in a thin layer of green and shouted once more. Large plants glowing with pure green energy popped out of the ground with a rumble and shot towards Crobat.

"Crobat, Evade!" shouted Vladimir, desperately.

Unfortunately for Crobat, it could not dodge in time and was pummelled by the large energy-plants.

"Crobat is down and out, folks! What a stunning victory for Satoshi's Ivysaur! And this is the end of the road for Vladimir people," shouted the announcer.

Vladimir walked over to Ash and congratulated him.

Cynthia murmured to Lance, "You were right. He **is** strong…very much so."

_Later that afternoon_

Ash looked at the electronic board.

"Huh…looks like I'm up against Barry tomorrow," said Ash to Pikachu, "He he…I'm going to enjoy this battle a lot…"

**Whoa! This much longer than I expected…That's great. Looks like Ash is going up against Barry next chapter!**

**Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**I want you to recommend Pokémon that Ash should have next round in your reviews! Thanks!**

**-LegendsAlmighty.**


	7. Chapter 7: Ash vs Barry

**Good god! Two updates in one day! That's amazing!**

"It's a good day for a battle!" said Ash to Pikachu, who was travelling next to him.

"Pikaa!" confirmed Pikachu.

"Well, let's go to the stadium, Pikachu," said Ash, rather cheerfully.

_At the Stadium_

"It looks like we'll be on an ice field versus Barry today," murmured Ash to himself.

"Excuse me, Satoshi?" a voice asked.

Ash turned around and saw Lance standing there, his arms crossed.

"Champion Lance! What a pleasure to meet you again! To what reason to I owe you this visit?" asked Ash in surprise.

"I just wanted to congratulate you with for your victory yesterday. It was quite impressive," replied Lance.

"Thank you. And I suppose that you won your battle?" inquired Ash.

"Indeed I did. If we keep this up, we might face each other sometime," answered Lance.

"Well, I hope to meet you again, Lance, except next time, it should be in the stadium," declared Ash.

"I do hope so, as well, Satoshi. Au revoir!" responded Lance, as he walked away.

"_Is he French?_" thought Ash to himself.

"Well Pikachu, our battle with Barry is about to start soon. Let's go!" prompted Ash.

"Chaa!"

_A few minutes later, at the Shamouti Grand Stadium_

"Here we go, again folks! This double battle of the D division will be between Satoshi from Agate Village in the blue corner and Barry of Twinleaf Town in the yellow corner! The automatically random machine will decide who goes first!"

After a tense couple of seconds of waiting, the light stopped on the yellow color and Barry yelled out, "Empoleon...Roserade! Let's win this!"

"Empoleon!" "Roserade!"

"All right, let's go Pikachu and Pupitar!"

The four Pokémon looked ready to rumble so the announcer shouted, "Let's begin!"

"This should be a piece of cake," said Barry, "Empoleon! Ice Beam on Pupitar and Roserade, Stun Spore on Pikachu!"

"Pikachu, Agility in a circle, now! Pupitar, Protect!!"

Pupitar enveloped itself in a sphere of crackling yellow-green energy and deflected the Ice Beam. Pikachu started to rush in a circle at blinding speed. Wind was blown upwards and moved the Stun Spore over towards Empoleon and Roserade. Now the water-steel and grass-poison Pokémon were paralyzed!

"Pupitar! Dark Pulse! Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Empoleon!"

Pupitar emitted a dark pulse of purple energy that travelled across the whole field. Pikachu jumped to avoid the energy and as the wave collided with Empoleon and Roserade, he unleashed a yellow-orange bolt of lightning onto Empoleon. Empoleon fainted on the spot.

"No!" yelled Barry.

"That was fast," mused Ash to himself.

"Roserade! Repetitive Poison Jab on Pupitar!"

Roserade unleashed a flurry of poisonous punches that all landed on Pupitar.

"Pupi...tar..."

"Pupitar! Hang in there!" urged Ash.

"Pupi...TAR!!!!!"

With that, Pupitar was bathed in a great white blanket of energy. Slowly, its shape formed and metamorphosed until there stood Tyranitar.

"Ooh. You are so screwed now..." chuckled Ash.

Pikachu climbed onto Tyranitar's head, cheeks sparking.

"Pikachu! Volt Tackle! Tyranitar! Hyper Beam!"

"Oh, shi-" said Barry.

Pikachu ran down Tyranitar's back and covered itself in bright yellow electricity and lightning. With energy surging through his body, Pikachu collided with Roserade and it was sent flying into the air. At that moment, Tyranitar finished charging his hyper beam and fired the massive white-orange beam of pure energy at Roserade. After the resulting explosion, Roserade fell to the ground, fainted.

"What a stunning performance! During the middle of the battle, Pupitar evolved into Tyranitar and helped earn the victory. Looks like Satoshi will be going into the top 16!" shouted the announcer.

Ash and Barry complimented each other and parted ways.

_Later that evening_

May walked back to the Pokémon Center ready to turn in for the night.

"_That Satoshi is amazing at battling. Looks like Max won't be fighting him cause my little bro got knocked out second round. Oh, well._"

"What you doing beautiful?" slurred a voice.

May whipped around to see a man in his 40s with a half-empty beer bottle in his hand.

"How bout a youse and me have a little fun together, eh?" rambled the drunken man.

"Don't hurt me! Stay back!" shouted May fearfully.

"Oh I won't hurt you, darling. In fact, I'll-" said the man, grinning.

He was interrupted by a fist that came out of nowhere.

"Stay away from her, you sick pervert!" said the unknown savior.

"_Satoshi?!_" thought May, with shock.

"And whas a punk like you gonna do to me? Huh?"

"Lucario! Force Palm!" commanded Ash.

Out of nowhere, a dark shadow fell down from the sky and struck the drunk man with a glowing palm of energy. Needless to say, the man fainted.

"Are you okay, May?" asked Ash, worriedly.

"I'm fine...thanks...Satoshi," replied May.

"Come on. I'll escort you back," asserted Ash.

"Thanks...again, Satoshi," thanked May.

"No prob," responded Ash.

"_Satoshi is so dreamy...and kind...What am I thinking! Could it be possible that I actually like Satoshi? The last person I liked was Ash, and...he disappeared. Oh, I just want to sleep..._" thought May to herself as she was led to the Pokémon Center.

_After May has gone to her room_

"Thanks Lucario," Ash said to the dark figure.

"_It was my pleasure, master,_" responded the dark figure.

"Well, we better go to sleep. I'm going to use you tomorrow,"

"_Of course, master_," acknowledged the dark figure.

Then, Ash, Pikachu, and the dark figure turned in for the night.

**Love is introduced at last! And it is also revealed that Ash now has a Tyranitar and a Lucario. Mystery!!!**

**As always, Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**Also, suggest some new Pokémon for Ash as well!**

**See ya next time!**

**-Legends Almighty**


	8. Chapter 8: Ash vs Paul

**Big battle coming up! Who? Just look at the chapter title!**

_At the stadium_

The roar of the crowd was the only thing Ash had been hearing for the last minute. Finally, the announcer spoke.

"Let's go, people! This match of the C division will be between Satoshi from Agate Village and Paul from Veilstone city! It will be a six-one-six double battle with substitutions allowed and no time limit! Now, the automatically random computer will decide who goes first!" shouted the announcer, from his hoverchair, "And also, after three of either trainer's Pokémon is unable to battle, the field will change. Right now, it's normal field! Trainers! The computer has decided! Satoshi will go first!"

Ash smiled. He was going to enjoy this battle even more than his last one.

Paul frowned. "_Something about that Satoshi guy reminds me of Ash..._"

May, in the stands, thought, "_Come on, Satoshi! Win this...for me!_"

"Let's go! Lucario! And Gallade!" yelled Ash as he threw out two Pokéballs.

"Magmortar! Honchkrow! Stand by for battle!" shouted Paul as he, too, released two Pokémon.

"Let the battle begin!" bellowed the announcer.

"Magmortar! Flamethrower on Lucario! Honchkrow! Shadow Ball on Gallade!" ordered Paul.

"Lucario, ExtremeSpeed! Gallade! Light Screen!" commanded Ash.

Lucario jumped and disappeared in a blinding flash of speed. Gallade set up a wall of deflective energy that negated the effects of Shadow Ball. Then, Lucario struck Magmortar with its extremely fast physical attack.

"Honchkrow, Night Slash!" yelled Paul.

"Lucario, deflect with Aura Sphere!" urged Ash.

Lucario shot off a crackling blue sphere of aura towards the night slash but then fell to the ground burned by the effects of Magmortar's FlameBody.

"Magmortar, quickly! Fire Punch!" bellowed Paul.

"Gallade! Cover Lucario! Signal Beam!"

Gallade shot off a weird beam of bug energy that collided with Magmortar, throwing it off balance. Even though it was not very effective, Gallade gained a few precious seconds, during which Ash yelled, "Stone Edge, on both of them!"

Gallade moved its arms upwards and sharp stones rose out of the ground and slashed around Magmortar and Honchkrow. Magmortar fell back down to the ground, unable to battle. Lucario stood up and looked ready to fight again.

"Lucario! Dragon Pulse, followed by Close Combat! Gallade, Thunder and Ice Punch!"

Lucario emitted a short pulse of mystic energy that collided with Honchkrow and proceeded to attack Honchkrow with merciless physical attacks. Meanwhile, Gallade's fist glowed yellow and blue-white and simultaneously collided with Honchkrow's back. Both jumped off when Honchkrow fell to the ground, defeated.

"Good job, Magmortar and Honchkrow. Return!" Paul zapped the fire and dark/flying type back into their respective Pokéballs.

"Great work out there, Lucario and Gallade. Take a nice long rest!" complimented Ash as he too zapped the Pokemon back into their Pokéballs.

"Let's keep going! Go, Torterra and Electivire!" shouted Paul. The grass/ground and electric types roared in anticipation.

"Battle stance! Absol and Dragonair! Win this!" yelled Ash, releasing the dark and dragon types.

"Torterra! Seed Bomb! Electivire! Fire Punch on Absol!" yelled Paul.

"Absol, jump and use Perish Song on Torterra! Dragonair, attack Electivire with Slam!" countered Ash.

Absol leaped upwards and emitted a dark red/black wave of deadly energy towards Torterra, which winced upon touching the energy. Dragonair slammed Electivire with the end of its tail, sending it back down to the ground.

"Future Sight on Electivire, Absol! Dragonair, Dragon Rush on Electivire as well!" ordered Ash.

Absol glowed bright white for a brief second then settled back to see Dragonair glow with a light blue aura and plow into Electivire.

"Torterra! Bullet Seed on Dragonair, Electivire, Charge Beam on Absol!" commanded Paul.

"Dragonair, Twister to Counter, and Absol, evade!" shouted Ash.

Torterra shot glowing globules of grass energy towards Dragonair, but was sucked into a mysterious energy twister and sent back to Electivire, who was stunned by the attack. Electivire's Charge Beam shot into the sky and Ash had a chance to yell, "Night Slash!" Electivire was brutally slashed by dark energy and fell to its knees, clearly exhausted. At that moment, Torterra fainted from the Perish Song and the sight of Torterra fainting disheartened Electivire so much and caused it to do so as well.

"Great effort, you two," Paul smiled as he returned the two Pokémon.

"Take a nice rest, Dragonair and Absol," said Ash as he too returned his Pokémon.

"Amazing folks! Satoshi has defeated 4 of Paul's Pokémon without losing any of his! At this moment, the field will change and the trainers will get a brief 5-minute respite!"

_Five minutes later_

"It's time to finish this battle, people! Paul from Veilstone City has only two Pokémon left, but Satoshi from Agate Village has his full team of six in his arsenal! This will now be a sand field!" announced the announcer.

"Stand by for battle! Weavile and Ursaring!"

"_Master,_" Lucario said from its Pokéball.

"_Yes, Lucario?_" communicated Ash.

"_I would suggest using a legendary,_"

"_Do you think that's necessary?_"

"_No, but now seems like a good time to use one,_"

"_Lucario, I don't __**use**__ them. They're my friends! And what if the others figure it out?_"

"_How?_"

"_Good point...all right, I'll do it,_"

"Let's go! Salamence...and LUGIA!" roared Ash.

He focused with all his might and summoned Lugia with his aura. (**Confused? You should be...but it will all be clear after the end of this battle.**)

The blue red dragon Pokémon roared as it waited for the dweller of the oceans. Then, after a few seconds, a great white and blue flying creature burst through the clouds and settled on the stadium field. It reared its head back and opened its mouth. From it came a cry, a bittersweet song of mystery.

The crowd gasped. Brock and Misty looked at each other.

"_You have called, O Chosen One?_"

"Chosen One? The only Chosen one we know of is...Ash," gasped Brock.

"Hello, my friend. Will you battle with me, today?" asked Ash.

"_Of course, Master._"

"Heh. Don't call me that Lugia. We're friends. I'm not your master. Now, shall we battle?"

Lugia roared its approval.

Paul stared in awe.

"_How the heck am I supposed to beat Lugia?_"

"Holy mother of God! Satoshi has summoned Lugia!" yelled the announcer in glee.

"Let's win this! Salamence, Fire Fang on Weavile! Lugia, Weather Ball on Ursaring!"

These commands jolted Paul back to the present.

"Weavile, Dark Pulse! Ursaring, Evade and use Hyper Beam!" snapped Paul.

Weavile shot a black wave of dark energy that threw Salamence off balance. However, Salamence was strong enough to pull through and crunch Weavile with fangs made out of fire and heat. Ursaring tried to avoid the Weather Ball that Lugia had fired but failed. It was buffeted by the gray-white energy ball and pushed back a couple of feet.

"Weavile, fire Dark Pulse at Lugia! Ursaring, Feint Attack on Lugia as well!"

"Salamence! Hit Ursaring with a Zen Headbutt and Lugia, avoid the Dark Pulse and counter with Ancient Power!"

Ursaring charged but was knocked aside by Salamence's powerful psychic headbutt. Lugia flew up high to avoid the Dark Pulse and attacked both of the Pokémon with rocks radiating pure ancient energy.

"Now, finish this! Salamence! Rock Slide on Weavile and Lugia, Aeroblast on Ursaring!"

Salamence conjured falling rocks that fell onto Weavile before it could dodge. Lugia shot a high pressure blast of air and wind energized with its psychic energy towards Ursaring. Both Weavile and Ursaring fell, defeated.

"And that's it! The winner of this match is Satoshi from Agate Village! He will be proceeding to the top 8!" shouted the announcer. "And it is now revealed Satoshi has Lugia as a battling partner!"

"Well done, Satoshi!" congratulated Paul to Ash. "You remind me of an old rival of mine once. He taught me to love my Pokémon...but, oh well, good luck going all the way!"

"Thanks, I kno-" Ash was interrupted by Brock's voice.

"So...Satoshi...where have you been for almost five years?" asked Brock suspiciously.

"I don't know what you mean, um...Brock. Isn't that your name, Brock?" responded Ash, feigning innocence.

"We know who you are. You can't lie about this," Misty said, approaching from the back.

Ash whirled around. "And who may I be?" mocked Ash. He doubted they actually knew, but he was afraid...very afraid.

"Excuse me, what is going on?" Paul inquired, quizzically.

"That, so called Satoshi, is really...Ash Ketchum!" Brock answered as he turned around, "Hey! Where is he?"

"Look! Up there!" said Misty.

They saw Ash flying off into the clouds on Lugia's back.

"What's up Misty?" asked May, who had just dropped down onto the field, followed by Tracey, Dawn, Max, Cynthia, Lance, Brandon, Gary, Drew, Melody, Molly Hale, Bianca, Jackie (**from Movie 9**), Sheena, Alice, and Tonio, many of whom had just arrived by invitation to watch their friends battle.

"It's Satoshi. We think...we think that he might be Ash," Brock replied, for Misty.

"What? But, he's been gone for almost five years now! If he's actually come back, why wouldn't he want to tell us that he's Ash?" asked May.

"We don't know," replied Misty, shaking her head.

"But how can you be sure that Satoshi is Ash?" asked Max.

"Well, when Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and I were travelling in the Orange Islands, something bad happened. There was a whole episode where Ash had to travel to Ice, Thunder, and Fire islands to calm Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. There was a prophesy that stated Ash as the Chosen One and had to help Lugia calm down the three elemental titans," Brock told the group.

"Hey, I remember that! And then just now, Lugia said...oh my god...it said 'O Chosen One!'" shouted Melody in realization.

"Yes. And that's why we think that Satoshi is Ash," Misty stated.

"But that still doesn't explain why Ash has been hiding himself all this time!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah. And we're going to find out," Brock declared.

_With Ash on Lugia's back_

"Pikaa. Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled at Ash.

Pikachu had been on Ash's shoulder since the beginning of his battle with Paul and could sense Ash's troubled thoughts.

"_What is troubling you, Ash?_" asked Lugia.

"I just don't know why I'm not telling the truth to my friends. I think I'm scared that they'll think I'm a coward for running away from Pallet," Ash answered, a little depressed.

"Pikaa! Kachu, chu!" Pikachu shook its head.

"_Pikachu is right, young one. It is not cowardly to run away from a death and neither is it cowardly to dismantle four major criminal institutions. Quite the contrary, in fact,_" Lugia reassured Ash.

"Yeah, but...no, you're right. I'll have to face my fears eventually. I must be strong!" exclaimed Ash.

"_That's the spirit!_" congratulated Lugia, "_Now, let's get you to the Pokémon and get your friends rested up for the next battle, which I believe is in three days._"

"How did you know that?" inquired Ash.

"_Pikachu looked it up and told me,_" replied Lugia simply.

Ash looked at Pikachu, who grinned at him.

"No matter what, you'll always be my best friend Pikachu."

"Chaa!" shouted Pikachu as it jumped into Ash's arms.

_Later, at the__ Pokémon Center_

Ash stood outside the Pokémon Center, enjoying the fresh air.

"You can't escape, this time Ash," chuckled a malicious voice.

Ash turned around to see Brock standing there with a net.

"Whoa...Brock. What are you doing?" asked Ash, shocked that Brock would take such a drastic action.

Before he could say anything else, a net from _behind_ him caught him and the accomplices blindfolded Ash and carried him away to a nearby clearing. A little boy thought the sight was strange.

_At the clearing_

"What the fu-" said Ash as he was dumped unceremoniously onto the grass.

"What is wrong with you?!" interjected Ash as he looked up to see Brock and Lance grinning at him.

"Nothing. We just want you to admit that your name is Ash Ketchum and that you're the guy that disappeared almost five years ago when your mom died."

Ash's eyes hardened.

"Did you really have to mention that?" shuddered Ash.

"Yes. Now, confess," snapped Brock.

"What if I'm not the guy you're looking for?" protested Ash.

At that moment, Pikachu, who had been looking for Ash ever since he had been kidnapped ran up to him.

"Pi...pika! Kachu, chu!"

"Are you sure?...okay..."

"Yes...I am Ash Ketchum." (**DUN DUN DUN DUN!**)

"Yes!!! Pay up!" shouted Brock in joy, looking at Lance.

"All right, fine..." grumbled Lance.

"You fricking bet on me?!" asked Ash in disbelief.

"Yup!" Brock replied, seeming very pleased with himself.

"Well, you're jolly today," muttered Ash under his breath.

"All right guys, you can come on out now!" Lance bellowed.

From the trees around them, May, Tracey, Dawn, Max, Cynthia, , Brandon, Gary, Drew, Melody, Molly Hale, Bianca, Jackie, Sheena, Alice, and Tonio emerged.

"Holy crap! It really is you, Ashy Boy!" shouted Gary with glee.

"Why is everyone so happy?" asked Ash curiously.

"Why is everyone so happy? Why is everyone SO HAPPY? What are you retarded?" shouted May. "You've been missing for years and you don't think people would miss you? Come here, you."

May twirled Ash into her arms and pulled him into a passionate kiss, which lasted several seconds. When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Ash asked, "That was sudden. Why?"

"Because, I liked you before you disappeared, after you disappeared, when you were Satoshi, and now. So, quite frankly, I love you!" exclaimed May.

Ash was stunned. "Really? Oh my god...May...I l-love you too!"

"Aww. What a perfect little moment...except it was a bit sudden and rushed," interrupted Dawn.

"DAWN!" reprimanded Ash and May at the same time.

"Well, this is all nice and good here, but fill us in about what you did during those almost five years you were gone!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Well, settle down people," Ash said, "This is going to be a long story. And don't interrupt me. Got it?"

Everybody nodded.

"Okay...well, I returned home from Sinnoh to see my mom and Mr. Mime dead. I went in and saw Prof. Oak sitting there, and he looked like he had lost a lot of sleep. He was sleeping when I woke him up. He told me that the four criminal organizations, Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, and Team Galactic had done this. I was such a fool to believe him. I wanted revenge for my mom's death. So, I took every single Pokémon I had and went to Mt. Silver. There I trained for a while and then set off towards each crime organization's headquarters. At Team Rocket's HQ, I learned that Giovanni was my father. I defeated Giovanni and then took down each other leader individually and got a bunch of money for it. I spent that on an advanced Pokémon storage system that let me store all my Pokémon, new and old, on it and would let them roam around in an environment similar to the real world, when they're actually in a computer. When I was traveling around the world, I befriended every single legendary I knew of and they all said that I could use them in battle whenever I wanted to. After taking down Team Galactic, I knew my job was done, so I went back to Mt. Silver and trained until just a few weeks ago. I received a letter from Professor Oak, asking me to come back to Pallet because of an emergency. When I got to the lab, I met Tracey and he showed me to the Professor. Except for the fact that it wasn't the Professor and that he was the Shadow King. Now, apparently, I am the Prince of Aura, the befriended of the legendaries. The Shadow King is my evil counterpart. We were forever destined to combat each other. Now, this is where the World Cup comes in. He and I battled, with Pikachu losing to his Shadow Pikachu in a matter of minutes. He left me a note which said that he made the World Cup so that I may get a chance to fight him again. The winner of the World Cup gets to fight him, or 'last World Cup's champion.' Now you see why I have to win this competition. The winner of the fight between him and I determines the fate of the world. I win, the world is saved. He wins, the world is doomed."

"Well, then...you won't lose!" reassured May.

Ash stared at her and then slowly grinned.

"_I love her simplicity,_" Ash thought.

"You know what, May?"

"Huh?"

"I will win."

"Don't forget, Ash." Brandon said.

"What?" Ash replied.

"We know you have to save the world and everything. But first, you have to get through us," Cynthia declared, looking at Brandon and Lance.

"Of course! I'm not gonna save the world without beating the crap out of you three, am I? No. I'm going to consider this training," replied Ash.

"Don't get too cocky, Ash," warned Lance.

" 'Course not! I'm not the old Ash I was almost five years ago!" Ash responded cheerfully.

"Well, that's obvious," Tonio muttered.

The group laughed and Ash felt warm inside.

"_My life is good, now._"

**Like it, Love it, Hate it?**

**Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**Think the love was a little rushed?**

**As always, recommend Pokémon and now legendaries for Ash!**

**See ya next time!**

**-Legends Almighty**


	9. Chapter 9: Ash vs Brandon

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! School, Family, Friends, Business,**** HUGE VACATION, etc, etc.**

**I'm sad at the lack of reviews. This is my first story. It's starting to become a slight disappointment...HOWEVER...I give thanks to Gerbilftw for being my most frequent reviewer!**

**Enjoy!**

_At the stadium_

"All right, people! Let's get this battle for the top 4 position under way! In the green corner is renowned Pyramid King, Brandon! In the blue corner is trainer Satoshi, who has now been revealed to be Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! He personally took down Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic! This should be a heated battle! Each trainer will be allowed 6 Pokémon with substitutions allowed and no time limit! The whole battle will be on a normal field! The computer has decided that Ash will go first!"

"This should give you some nostalgia, Brandon! Let's go, Regigigas, and Regice!"

The lord of the Hoenn golems and the ice golem teleported into the stadium, due to the fact that Ash's Gallade had transported them in.

"That does bring back memories. Go, Solrock and Ninjask!"

The sun rock Pokémon and the ninja fly Pokémon emerged from two red and white Pokeballs.

"Regice, Zap Cannon on Ninjask! Cover Regigigas until its Slow Start has passed!"

Regice drew its arms together and gathered up a strong electrical cannon. It aimed at the flying ninja fly and fired.

"Ninjask! Double Team!"

Ninjask flashed white for an instant, than multiplied its image and formed three overlapping spheres around Regice.

"Regice! Water Pulse!"

Regice gathered liquid power from deep in its freezing core and expulsed it out in a sphere, dissolving all but one of the copies arranged in spheres.

"Now, when it's down, Zap Cannon!"

"Solrock, cover Ninjask! Psychic!"

Solrock dove in front of Ninjask and its droopy eyes glowed purple for an instant before the Zap Cannon struck a shimmering, purple-tinted shield and was deflected into the sky in front of the psychic rock type. Suddenly, Regigigas growled and nodded at Ash.

"All right! Regigigas is in the game now! Iron Head on Solrock! Regice, dodge and use Ice Beam on Ninjask!"

Regigigas charged at Solrock with blinding speed, surprising for such a huge golem, and glowed silver white. It headbutted Solrock and sent it into the air. Regice jumped and shot a powerful ice energy beam that grazed Solrock and was about to hit Ninjask when Brandon yelled, "Agility!"

Ninjask shot foward at a speed greater than ever thought possible and dodged the Ice Beam. Regice followed Ninjask as it fell to the ground, creating a maze of criss-crossing ice paths on the ground of the field. Regice was about to impact the hard ground when Ash urged, "Regice! Direct yourself onto the ice paths!"

"_What does he have in mind?_" thought Brandon.

Regice pushed its body foward until it was right above the ice path. Instead of the crash that was expected, Regice stood there, floating a few inches above the ice.

"Now! Signal Beam on Solrock!"

Regice dove foward and its feet never touched the ground. It simply glided along the path that it had carved at astonishing speed, jumped and shot a weird bug energy beam at Solrock. The energy beam hit dead center and Solrock fell to the ground, fainted.

"Ninjask! X-Scissor on Regigigas!"

Ninjask shot forward and its claws glowed bright blue and white. Just as it was about to slash at Regigigas, Ash yelled, "Crush Grip!"

Regigigas swung its right hand and its orange-red fist crushed the flying ninja Pokemon.

"Solrock and Ninjask are unable to battle!" shouted the announcer.

Brandon returned his two Pokémon and threw out a Dusknoir and a Kangaskhan.

Ash called Regice and it went to the sidelines and sent out Gallade for a repeat appearance since the battle with Paul.

"Gallade, Trick Room!" shouted Ash, not waiting for Brandon.

Gallade materialized a warp in time-space and boxed everybody in it.

"_I get it. Regigigas's Slow Start is still in effect, so Trick Room negates the speed drawback..._" analyzed Brandon.

"Regigigas, Iron Head on Dusknoir," smiled Ash.

"Dusknoir, dodge!"

However, due to the effects of Trick Room, Regigigas bounded off with tremendous energy and slammed into Dusknoir, knocking it back with the strong physical attack. Out of nowhere, Gallade ran past Dusknoir and used Night Slash on it, fainting the ghost type.

Paul returned Dusknoir and shouted, "Kangaskhan! Crush Claw on Gallade!"

Kangaskhan, its speed boosted by trick room, roared and its right claws glowed blue. It slashed at Gallade, leaving a faint bluish white line where it had been. Gallade flew through the air and landed in the middle of the field.

"Regigigas, protect Gallade! Dizzy Punch!"

Before Regigigas could move, Brandon yelled, "Hyper Beam!"

Kangaskhan fired an orange-red beam of pure energy and caught Regigigas dead center. Regigigas flew backwards and landed next to Gallade. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, Ash's Pokémon fainted.

"Return, Gallade and Regigigas." Ash zapped Gallade back into its ball, and Regigigas was helped to the sidelines by Regice.

"Kangaskhan, can you keep battling?" asked Brandon.

Kangaskhan growled affirmatively and Brandon said, "Good. Now, let's go! Rhyperior!"

A large brown Pokémon with orange plates of armor came out and roared its readiness.

"_Those two are very strong Pokémon. I'll use Altaria and Palkia..._" Ash decided.

"Go! Altaria! Palkia! I need your assistance!" Ash shouted to the heavens.

The blue white dragon-bird, Altaria, popped out of the thrown Pokéball.

A purple-pink spiral of spatial energy twisted out of the air around Ash and Palkia roared through.

"All right! Let's end this quickly. Palkia, Water Pulse on Rhyperior, and Altaria, Dragon Pulse on Kangaskhan."

Because Trick Room had been canceled due to Gallade's defeat, Altaria attacked furse, firing a strong, billowing pulse of dragon energy towards the mother Pokémon. Kangaskhan fainted instantly on contact.

"That was stupid keeping Kangaskhan out." remarked Ash.

"True. Return Kangaskhan. Go, Froslass."

"Oh crap." muttered Ash, realizing its effectiveness against both Palkia and Altaria.

Meanwhile, Palkia's sphere of high pressured water plowed into Rhyperior, which knocked it back a few feet.

"Frosslass, Blizzard! Rhyperior, Rock Wrecker on Altaria!"

"Yup. I'm screwed..."

Froslass generated a freezing cold storm of snow and ice and pushed it towards Altaria and Palkia. Palkia, used to such attacks, twisted space around the attack directed towards it and the Blizzard appeared behind Rhyperior. So, Rhyperior was hit by the super-effective ice move, and fell, making the Rock Wrecker boulder flying towards Froslass. Altaria dodged the Blizzard and shot a Dragon Breath at Rhyperior. The combined effects of Palkia's Water Pulse, the Blizzard, and Altaria's Dragon Breath made Rhyperior faint.

Ash looked to see Froslass get pummeled by the boulder, fainting on contact.

"Well, looks like I win!" shouted Ash to the sky.

"Unbelievable. No wait, Believe it people! We should come to expect these things from Ash Ketchum from now on folks. So it looks like the Pyramid King is out of this competition!" announced the announcer.

"Well done Ash. You have truly grown since our last meeting, at Snowpoint," congratulated Brandon.

"Thanks."

"But, I have a question. How did Gallade, Palkia, and Altaria attack without orders?" inquired Brandon.

"It's simple, really. Gallade and I communicate telepathically. All the legendaries, and Lucario, I communicate with my aura. And Altaria, well, she knows how to handle herself in a fight," responded Ash.

"Huh."

Ash and Brandon looked at the electronic screen.

"Well, Cynthia and Lance won their battles, so I'll be fighting Cynthia next round."

"Well, good luck Ash."

"Thanks Brandon."

"Ash!" May shouted, climbing down to meet Ash.

"Hey, May!" Ash grinned, giving May a twirl.

"That was amazing! Palkia, Regigigas, Regice!"

"Yeah," Ash smiled as Palkia disappeared into a portal, and Regice and Regigigas teleported back to Snowpoint.

"I have a question for you, Ash," whispered May.

"Shoot," Ash replied.

"Why do you love me? After all that time? It did seem a little rushed," May said, almost demanding an explanation.

"Well...when I was out training and taking out the four regions' crime organizations, I kept thinking about how I feared that you and all the others would reject me and think that I was a coward for running away from home. But then I realized that no matter what, only you would, you know, care for me, accept me, and possibly _like_ me right off the bat," shuddered Ash, releasing his inner reasons, "Et toi?"

"Huh?" May said confused.

"It means 'and you' in French," clairified Ash.

"Oh. Well, you see, you were always kind and caring. Whenever I would fail at something, you would always be there to lift me up and encourage me, when we were traveling together. Then, after you disappeared, I always had this feeling that you would come back, possibly, to me," described May.

She was about to say more when suddenly a enormous explosion was heard from inside the stadium, where Ash and May were.

"What the heck was that?" shouted Ash.

Ash and May could see a pillar of smoke rising in the distance.

"Come on, let's go check it out!" urged Ash as he and May raced off to the site of the explosion.

**DUN DUN DUN DUN**

**Cliffhangers! Sorry, for not updating in nearly a month. I was in Europe for three and a half weeks!**

**As always, need Pokémon and Legendary suggestions for Ash.**

**Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**-LegendsAlmighty **


	10. Chapter 10: A Legendary Gives a Surprise

**HOLY CRAP! IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE BACK! SORRY TO ANYONE THAT WAS WAITING FOR FOUR MONTHS! MOVING, ADJUSTING TO COLLEGE AND OTHER CRAP LIKE THAT!**

**I hope this will work until I get up to speed again.**

**Oh, and thanks to advanceshipping4ever for keeping the spark alive. Untold gratitude in your direction!**

Ash and May rushed over to the sight of the explosion.

Upon exiting the stadium, they saw a huge crater in the middle of the ground.

Already, Brock, Dawn, Lance and Cynthia were gathered around the site of the crater.

Then a huge burst of flame erupted from the crater.

_VIEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWSSSSSHHHHHH__!_

When the flame died, a white, two-footed, majestic dragon stepped out of the smoke.

The white yang Pokémon.

Reshiram.

"_RESHIRAM! What is it doing here, and why is it acting so violently? Ash probably didn't summon it._" thought Lance.

Ash frowned and cast his aura towards Reshiram.

"_Reshiram? What are you doing here?"_

He was met with a solid wall of aural defense. All Ash could sense was pain, lots and lots of pain.

Reshiram roared again and reared back its head. A ball of fire coalesced betwixt its jaws and Reshiram threw its head foward.

"LOOK OUT!"

Ash dove towards May and tackled her to the ground, shielding her from the intense heat of the Cross Flame.

Reshiram roared again and stomped its feet.

Ash looked at May.

"Stay here."

Ash jumped off May and dashed recklessly towards Reshiram.

"_Where's Pikachu when I need him?_"

Ash broadcast his aura again in an effort to get to Reshiram.

Again...nothing.

"This isn't good." Ash grimaced. Reaching down to his black belt, he pulled off a blue Pokeball.

"GO! DAIKENKI!"  
With a roar, whoosh, and zip, the 3rd evolution starter Pokémon jumped out.

"BOILING WATER!" (**Yes, that's an actual move, new to 5****th**** generation**)

Daikenki shouted and spewed a froth of boiling, pressurized water that slammed into Reshiram's back.

_GYOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Reshiram whipped around and glared at Daikenki.

"Now, Daikenki, Water Oath!"

Daikenki growled and flung its head up. At the same time, the ground started shaking. A geyser burst through the ground underneath Reshiram's colossal body and collided with its weak underside. Reshiram keened in pain.

Then it retaliated.

With a Flamethrower that looked 10x more massive than Ash's Charizard's Overheat, Reshiram howled and shot the massive heat wave in Daikenki's direction.

"Shi- Daikenki! Jump and use Air Slash!" Ash urged quickly.

Daikenki's hind legs bunched together and then he sprang up into the air and dove towards Reshiram. Reshiram's Flamethrower died as it saw Daikenki hurtling towards it. It opened its jaws again and a stream of golden blue wind burned in the air towards Daikenki.

"_Dragonbreath!_"

Daikenki took the full blast of Dragonbreath and started to fall to the ground.

_Thump..._

"Janoby! Emboar! Cover Daikenki!" Ash shouted as he released the two other Pokémon. The fighting boar and grass snake landed on the pavement and rushed towards their fallen comrade.

"Janoby, Grass Mixer! Emboar, Heat Stamp!"

Janoby uttered a shrill cry and leaves and twigs began to twirl around Reshiram, cutting it and annoying it, while providing cover for Emboar's attack. Emboar jumped and initiated a Hi-Jump Kick and his feet blazed to life. He fell onto Reshiram like a comet and there was a resounding explosion.

Ash sensed an opening in Reshiram's aural shield and dove foward, aurally.

"_RESHIRAM! ANSWER ME! WHAT'S WRONG?"_ Ash shouted mentally as loud as he could.

Reshiram paused.

"Janoby, Emboar, stop! Just protect Daikenki. I'm trying to communicate with Reshiram here," Ash commanded.

Janoby and Emboar reluctantly nodded.

"_Reshiram, what's wrong?_"

For the first time in a long time, Ash heard Reshiram's voice.

"_Zek...ek...Rom...pain...so...much...pai...nnn."_

"_Reshiram, is Zekrom hurt? What's doing this to you?_"

"_Zekro...m...Shadd...oooww...kii-_ "

And Ash understood.

Reshiram stood quietly, its eyes tortured with internal pain.

"_That damn idiot! Now, I've got one more reason to add to my infinite list of reasons to defeat the Shadow King!_"

Ash looked up at Reshiram.

"_Reshiram?_"

"_..._"

"_Do you want to get Zekrom back? Take down the Shadow King?_"

"_Zekrom...back? Take down Shadow King?_"

"_Yes._"

"_Ash...I will join you._"

"_All right._"

Ash grinned.

Reshiram began to smile back.

"All right, Daikenki, Janoby, Emboar, great work you guys. Return!" And with that the valiant Isshu starters zapped back into their Pokeballs.

"ASH!"

Ash turned around and saw May, Dawn, Brock, Lance, and Cynthia rushing towards him. "ASH!" May tackled Ash.

"Whoa, there May," laughed Ash.

"Are you hurt? What happened? Are you okay?" May whipped out a stream of questions breathlessly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ash got up.

"Ash, is that Reshiram?" asked Lance, staring at the white yang Pokémon.

"Yeah, I've got good news and bad news,"

"Bad news first," Cynthia answered, also staring at Reshiram. Reshiram stared back.

"The Shadow King has Zekrom," Ash replied quietly. Reshiram growled.

"WHAAAAT?" Brock, Lance, and Cynthia shouted simultaneously.

"Yeah, I don't know why, but Reshiram here has agreed to help me beat the Shadow King and get Zekrom back," Ash said.

Cynthia and Lance laughed.

"Well, the Shadow King is screwed," Dawn giggled.

Cynthia and Lance fell silent and looked at Ash. Cynthia spoke up.

"Ash, you do know you're still going to have to get through me and Lance, until you battle the Shadow King, right?"

Ash nodded and grinned.

"Yup! And I'm gonna enjoy kickin your butts!"

**THAT FEELS SO GOOD!**

**Three R's:**

**How should I incorporate Team Plasma?**

**Legendaries?**

**Plot twists?**

**Anything!**

**-LegendsAlmighty**


	11. Chapter 11: Ash vs Cynthia

**Yeehaw! Just finished college finals! Anyways, this chapter is Ash vs. Cynthia! Enjoy!**

The Next Day

Ash sat in the locker room, in the half-lotus position, meditating and calming his aura for the upcoming battle.

Ash opened his eyes, and stood up, refreshed. (**Just so you know, meditating focuses on "living in the moment" and relaxation**)

"_Today, I fight Cynthia. I wonder how it's going to go._" Ash grinned. He had never had the chance to fight the Sinnoh Champion before and loved the fact that he was going to now.

He sobered. "_After Cynthia, I'll go to the finals. After that, the Shadow King._" Ash had been training even after his battles, not taking any chances for his match with the Shadow King.

"PIKA!"

"Hi, Pikachu."

"Chu...Pika...pi!"

Ash smiled at his best friend.

"Are you ready for this? Let's go!"

On the Stadium

Ash stood on the field, staring at Cynthia, who was in the ready position as well.

"All right! The long awaited battle between the Sinnoh Champion and trainer Ash Ketchum! Let's not waste any time. This battle will be a three on three Pokémon battle. The battle ends when all six Pokémon of any trainer are unable to continue battling!" The announcer bellowed from the sideline.

Cynthia called out to Ash before the battle started.

"Just because you're destined to fight the Shadow King doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you!"

Ash smirked. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"BEGIN!"

"Go! Spiritomb, Milotic, and Wargle!" Cynthia released the immensely strong Pokémon and waited for Ash.

"Let's win this! Quilava, Lucario, and Pikachu!" Ash yelled, releasing the Volcano Pokémon and the Aura Pokemon. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and took its battle position.

"Let's start this off! Spiritomb, Shadow Ball fury! Milotic Whirpool, and Wargle, Gust on the Whirpool!"

Spiritomb reared its head back and spewed forth purple, shadowy goblets of ghostlike energy.

"DODGE!"

Lucario jumped clear of the Shadow Balls, while Pikachu and Quilava spin-dodged them.

Then, Milotic glowed blue and shot a swirling maelstrom of water and energy towards Ash's three Pokémon.

Wargle screamed its name and flapped its wings strongly, using the Gust created to power up Milotic's Whirlpool.

Lucario, coming down from its leap got swamped by the Whirlpool.

Ash grimaced.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel into the Whirlpool! Pikachu, Quick Attack from the Whirlpool!"

Quilava yelled its name and enveloped itself in red-hot flames. It charged towards the Whirlpool.

Meanwhile, Pikachu used Quick Attack and started running along the sides of the Whirlpool. The audience gasped.

Quilava collided with the Whirlpool, causing an explosion of steam and dust to fly everywhere.

This destabilized the Whirlpool, which lurched forward.

"Lucario, get out of the way! Quilava, Protect! Pikachu, Launch!"

Lucario leaped out of the way, while Quilava protected itself in a green orb of energy.

Pikachu launched off of the Whirlpool, and with the angular momentum carrying into tangential momentum, collided with Wargle powerfully. Wargle yelled and fell to the ground.

"Pikachu, Spin Iron Electric Tail!"

As Pikachu fell, Pikachu began spinning and its tail glowed white and orange.

"Milotic, look out!"

Pikachu's electrically charged iron tail slammed into Milotic, causing to scream its name out and faint.

"Wargle, try to get up! Spiritomb, cover Wargle! Dark Pulse!"

"Quilava, counter with Lava Plume! Lucario, get Pikachu out of there and use Dragon Pulse!"

Quilava surrounded itself with a red energy and expulsed the lava like substance in a circle the same way Spiritomb did with its Dark Pulse.

Lucario sprinted towards Pikachu, picked it up, and hi-jumped back to its position while using Dragon Pulse on Spiritomb.

Quilava's Lava Plume hurt Wargle, causing it to faint, then became evenly matched with the Dark Pulse. However, Lucario's Dragon Pulse caused Spiritomb to waver and the Lava Plume pushed through, damaging the ghost-type.

"Now Lucario, when it's weak! Odor Sleuth and Extremespeed! Quilava, Flamethrower! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Lucario focused its energy so that it would be able to hit the elusive ghost-type Pokémon and dashed towards it at an Extreme Speed, damaging the Spiritomb.

Quilava spewed a frothing stream of fire and flames which covered the Spiritomb in painful heat.

Pikachu jumped up and shot his electrical energy towards Spiritomb, shocking it and causing it to faint.

Lucario, Pikachu, and Quilava returned to the original position.

"AMAZING! Ash's Pokémon have completely decimated Cynthia's Pokémon!" the Announcer shouted into his microphone.

Ash grinned pleased with himself.

Cynthia smiled sadly.

"Return, Spiritomb. You deserve a nice, long rest."

"Lucario, Quilava, Pikachu! Can you keep fighting?" Ash looked at his faithful Pokémon. They nodded.

"All right! The next battle will take place on an ice field!" Ash's Pokémon got off. The announcer pressed a button and the normal field retreated, being replaced by an icy, slippery field. Ash's Pokémon got back on.

"GO! Lucario, Shibirudon, and Garchomp!" Cynthia released the aura Pokémon, the electric eel, and the dragon-type.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Let's start out first! Pikachu, Quick Attack on Garchomp, Lucario, Aura Sphere on Shibirudon, and Quilava, Flamethrower on Cynthia's Lucario!"

Pikachu dashed forwards at Garchomp, Lucario coalesced a glowing sphere of aural energy and fired at Shibirudon, while Quilava fired a Flamethrower at Cynthia's Lucario.

"Lucario, Protect! Garchomp, jump! Shibirudon, dodge!"

Cynthia's Lucario protected itself against the Flamethrower. Garchomp propelled itself upwards using its muscular legs, while Shibirudon attempted to dodge, but was hit by Lucario's Aura Sphere. It yelled its name in pain.

"Shibirudon, pull through and use Wild Bolt! Garchomp, Dragon Rush down! Lucario, Bone Club!"

Shibirudon reared back its head and shot several balls of electrical energy towards Ash's Pokémon.

Garchomp, coming down from its dodging leap, crossed its arms together and glowed blue while plummeting towards Pikachu.

Lucario rushed towards Quilava and a blue Bone Club materialized in its hands.

"Pikachu, Agility! Lucario, Extreme Speed! Quilava, Dig!"

Pikachu dashed fowards from its position and tackled Shibirudon, which caused the Wild Bolt to miss.

Lucario jumped in the air and almost simultaneously attacked Shibirudon, Garchomp, and Cynthia's Lucario. Garchomp faltered and the angle of its dive became incorrect as it crashed to the ground with a loud explosion, damaging itself. Shibirudon fell to the ground, struggling to get back up.

Cynthia's Lucario, however, managed to strike Quilava with its Bone Club, sending it flying, before Ash's Lucario struck Cynthia's with Extreme Speed. Lucario caught Quilava, and set it down to the ground. Both were panting.

"Quilava, continue with Dig! Pikachu, get on Lucario!"

Quilava quickly burrowed a hole and leapt underground. Pikachu jumped onto Lucario's back.

"Now, Quilava, Eruption! Lucario, jump and Aura Sphere flurry! Pikachu, Strafing Thunder!"

From underneath the ground, an Eruption of volcanic magnitude exploded and collided with Cynthia's Pokémon. Quilava jumped out of the hole made in the ground, exhausted.

Lucario jumped and fired three Aura Spheres, each one colliding with a separate Pokémon.

Pikachu leapt off of Lucario's back and let loose a powerful yellow-orange Thunder attack that strafed all of Cynthia's Pokemon. Lucario caught Pikachu on the way down.

Cynthia's Lucario and Garchomp were still standing, but Shibirudon had fainted.

"Good job, Shibirudon. Return!"

Shibirudon was recalled into its Pokéball.

"Lucario, engage! Aura Sphere at Cynthia's Lucario! Pikachu and Quilava! Volt Tackle and Flare Blitz on Garchomp!" Ash called out.

"Lucario! Counter with your Aura Sphere! Garchomp! Giga Impact!" Cynthia countered.

Both Lucario charged large orbs of aural energy and with a roar, simultaneously fired.

Meanwhile, Pikachu charged himself with white-yellow lightning energy and streaked towards Garchomop. Quilava did the same with his fire energy in the form of Flare Blitz.

The Aura Spheres collided with a resounding explosion but remained there, straining against each other. Both Lucario's eyes were closed as they concentrated on overpowering the other.

Garchomp roared and stampeded towards Pikachu and Quilava, enveloping itself in pure white normal energy.

Ash concentrated on his Lucario. "_Lucario! The Aura is with you!_"

"_No Master...The Aura is with US!"_

Ash's Lucario opened its eyes and yelled.

The audience gasped. Ash's Lucario's Aura Sphere was absorbing Cynthia's Lucario's Aura Sphere! Now, no longer hindered, the doubled Aura Sphere sped towards Cynthia's Lucario.

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

Cynthia's Lucario flew into the stadium wall and fell down, fainted.

"Return Lucario!" Cynthia recalled her Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Pikachu and Quilava collided with Garchomp.

_**KAAA-SPEEWWWWWWWWWW-BAA-BOOM!**_

Quilava and Pikachu stared at Garchomp. Garchomp did the same to those two.

Lucario made a move towards the trio.

"_Lucario, let them be_." Ash told his Aura Pokémon.

The audience was dead silent. All they could hear was the panting of the various Pokémon.

Suddenly, Quilava crumpled, as the recoil of Flare Blitz, added to the damage of Garchomp's Giga Impact got to it.

Garchomp turned to Pikachu. Pikachu's face was screwed in concentration and was breathing heavily from exertion.

Slowly, Garchomp smiled...then fell to the ground, unable to continue.

"AND THAT'S IT! ASH KETCHUM HAS DEFEATED CYNTHIA THE SINNOH CHAMPION!" The announcer jumped with glee and the audience roared.

"Return, Lucario, Garchomp." Cynthia smiled sadly.

"Return! Lucario, Quilava! Take a nice rest. Come here Pikachu!" Ash grinned as Pikachu ran up his soldier.

"I'm really proud of you buddy."

Pikachu cooed. "Pika!"

Ash turned around as he saw Cynthia approaching him.

"Ash...the way you battled today...truly inspired me. You'll go far. I believe you can defeat the Shadow King." Cynthia smiled at Ash.

"Thanks." Ash replied.

"But first, you have to get through me!"

Ash whipped around.

"Lance! I take it you won your match?" Ash asked.

"But of course." Lance grinned toothily.

"Don't get too overconfident Lance. Ash is a strong trainer." Cynthia spoke up.

"I'm looking forward to our battle, Ash." Lance directed his statement at Ash.

"So am I." Ash smiled again.

"ASH!" A feminine voice called out.

Ash turned around...again...to see the rest of his friends running towards him, before a red blur streaked into him and tackled him to the ground.

"Are you going to greet me like that every time you see me?" Ash joked.

"You were absolutely amazing! There's no way you're going to lose to Lance!" May squealed, ignoring Ash's earlier comment.

"HEY!" Lance exclaimed in mock hurt.

"Oh well, May. Tomorrow's tomorrow. Today, we have some fun!" Ash stood up and pulled May up as well.

"Where are we going?" asked Ash's friends simultaneously.

"Well, last time Tracey, Misty, and I were here, there was a ceremony about the Chosen One, remember?" Ash replied.

Tracey, Misty, and Melody nodded.

Melody knew what Ash was going to say.

"And since it's that time of year, I thought it might be fun to go to the Shamouti Island ceremony!"

"YES!"

**Hello again all. I'm sorry for not updating this in like...forever+2 months. Finals, family, finals, friends, finals, schoolwork, finals...it really gets to you. Now that it's winter break, I'm hoping to update sooner.**

**3 R's! Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**Peace out!**

**-LegendsAlmighty**


	12. Chapter 12: The Shamouti Island Ceremony

**Howdy all! How you doin? *chuckle chuckle***

**This chapter isn't very exciting, but here it is!**

* * *

Outside the Stadium:

Ash and Co made their way out of the stadium. They started down on a dusty path and they could hear the distant cry of Wingulls.

"Hey, Melody!" Ash suddenly realized something. He turned around and looked at Melody, who seemed deep in thought.

"Yes, Ash?" Melody looked at Ash.

"The tournament is taking place during the Shamouti Island ceremony. Who's doing the performance for the ceremony? Few years ago, it was your turn to perform. So who's doing it now?" Ash was curious.

Melody was a little abashed.

"Well, you see, we haven't really found another candidate for the ceremony, so I'm doing it this year for the fourth time in a row. But this will be my last year," Melody blushed.

"That'll be interesting," May commented.

"Melody, are you going to do that whole fruity thing, where you flirt with Ash? I mean, Ash is with May now..." Misty whispered to Melody.

"Don't worry, now that all the bird problems are gone, we...sorry I won't need to do that," Melody replied.

Ash noticed Misty and Melody whispering fervently and shouted. "Come on! We gotta get going!"

The large group (consisting of Ash, May, Max, Dawn, Brock, Misty, and Melody) started running in the direction of the village.

Near the Village:

A tree swayed in the wind.

_Swoosh!_

Yellow eyes peered out of the tree and focused on the road. A wispy, shadowy body appeared and it crouched down to get comfortable.

The creature could hear faint laughter in the distance.

It swivelled its head, slowly, and focused on the bend of the road.

Footsteps.

Ash Ketchum, the Prince of Aura had arrived.

The creature focused on its inner, purple aura which was now visible, enveloping it in a dark hue.

"_Maaster...the target has been spotted..._"

A reply from the master.

"_No, maaster... I sense no sign that he knows that I aam here..."_

Chatter only heard to the creature.

"_I will continue my surveillaance maaster."_

* * *

With the group:

Ash was listening to Melody's storytelling (which, ironically, happened to be about the time when Ash had gone on the adventures to Fire, Ice, and Thunder islands) when he felt something sinister very close to the group.

Ash looked up and maintained a ruse of ignorance.

"_Where have I felt that before?"_ Ash pretended to laugh in a depreciating manner as Melody detailed a particularly amusing point in Ash's journey.

Ash looked at his right shoulder and saw Pikachu perked up as well.

"Pikachu, can you pinpoint where that dark aura is coming from? I believe whatever it is would be able to sense my aura if I tried doing it..." Ash murmured lowly to Pikachu.

"Kachu..." Pikachu's sense of smell and great instincts located something very sinister located in the branches of a lone tree.

Pikachu's eyes flicked towards the tree and Ash nodded.

He held his hand over Lucario's Pokéball, waiting for something to happen.

Nothing ever did.

The group passed the tree, ignorant of something dangerous lurking in the willowy tree.

Ash sighed a breath of relief.

"_I'll have to go investigate that sooner or later_."

* * *

At the Shamouti Island Village:

Ash and his group walked into the large bazaar set up in the town.

Various street vendors shouted out, enticing tourists to purchase a snack or souvenir.

Melody excused herself from the group, saying that she needed to go prepare for the ceremony at the festival house.

It was still mid-afternoon, so Ash and friends decided to enjoy the festivities and food.

They stopped in the middle of the town and observed several people laugh and dance while carrying a blue Gyarados puppet.

A few hours passed and people began heading to the festival house for the Chosen One ceremony.

Ash and May headed towards the festival house as well and sat in the center with their friends.

Apparently, being friends with Melody had its perks too.

People were chattering quietly, and eating delicious food until the lights dimmed.

The stage brightened and a bittersweet melody rung eerily throughout the festival house, quieting everybody.

Slowly, Melody (dressed in the traditional costume) walked onto the stage and continued playing Lugia's theme on her white ocarina.

When the last note faded away, Melody spoke in a clear voice.

"_Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning._

_Lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash._

_Though the water's Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail. _

_Thus the Earth shall turn to Ash_."

May, seated next to Ash whispered to him.

"Ash? As in you, or volcanic Ash?"

Ash grimaced. He had hoped that Melody had told May about what happened, but alas – his hope was crushed.

"Me."

Melody walked off the stage and made her way to Ash's table.

"_O, Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three._

_Their treasures combined, tame the Beast of the Sea._

_From the trio of islands, ancient spheres shall you take,_

_For between life and death, all the diff'rence you'll make._

_O, Chosen One, climb to the shrine to right what is wrong,_

_And the world will be healed by the Guardian's song."_

Melody bowed and Ash nodded.

The lights brightened again and Melody made her way backstage, only to rejoin the group minutes later.

"Hey, great job Melody!" complimented Tracey.

"Thanks, Tracey." Melody sat down and promptly began eating a pear.

"Hey, Ash?" May looked at Ash.

"Yes, May?" Ash replied, knowing what May's question was going to be about.

"What's the whole Chosen One thing about?"

Ash was about to answer when he remembered the dark aura that he had felt from the tree.

He felt a yearning to go to it, like it was calling to him…

"Misty, could you explain for May?" Ash asked in a low voice.

"Why can't you do it?" Misty complained. She was still eating.

"I've got to check something out…" Misty was about to refuse when she noticed something weird.

Something about Ash seemed…off somehow.

"Sure, Ash." Misty replied.

Misty turned and looked at May, then shrugged. Both watched as Ash slowly sauntered away, head down.

Pikachu was feasting on a ketchup bottle when May asked something.

"Pikachu? I think Ash is feeling alright. Could you go catch up to him and report anything bad?"

Pikachu nodded happily. It had noticed Ash's confused and dark demeanor and jumped off the table.

* * *

Outside the town:

Pikachu followed Ash, keeping the distance so there would be little chance of Ash noticing that he was being followed…or stalked.

Pikachu saw that Ash stopped next to a lone tree and just stood there, looking up at the branches, apparently waiting for something.

Suddenly, a purple thunderbolt came out of the branches and struck Ash.

Pikachu jumped to life immediately.

Pikachu sprinted towards the tree as Ash was bathed in a purple sphere and lifted up. Apparently, Ash was unconscious.

Before Pikachu could help Ash, a beam of dark energy blasted out of the tree and collided with the ground on which Pikachu was running on.

_KA – BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

Pikachu went flying and landed many yards away with a dull thud.

Ash's most faithful partner tried to get up, but collapsed with pain.

Through dreary and irritated eyes, Pikachu could only observe helplessly as the dark aura surrounded Ash once again, then disappeared, this time carrying Ash with it.

"PIKA!"

* * *

**Yay! Not much of a cliffhanger, I know…**

**Anyway, three Rs! Read, Review, and Recommend!**

**Oh yeah, and check out Pokémon Apokélypse! Great!**

**Peace out!**

**-LegendsAlmighty**


	13. Author's Note

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…**

**Ugh, I feel like such an asshole. I mean, I promised everybody, I would update sooner during Winter Break, but I didn't. Things just came up…but I won't make excuses. Hate me for what you will…but I will be back!**

**I know, I know, this will seem like another crappy promise, but hopefully, I'll get things cleared out of the way and have a brief respite in Spring Quarter, than another break during the summer…**

**Remember! This story is not dead! Just on a long, long hiatus…**

**Please don't hate me (although I'll understand if you do).**

**Peace out!**

**-LegendsAlmighty**


End file.
